He loves decorating for Christmas. Clark Griswold's got NOTHING on DH. He really goes overboard. Fortunately for the neighborhood, I'm unemployed and thus we are very tight financially and cannot afford to purchase additional decorations or replace those that wear out.

One thing DH loves to do is set up little Christmas villages on every available table top in our living room. I see about three separate villages - little churches, inns, bookstores, bakeries and houses. He even has snow-dusted "fir" trees that go with an old train set, and set up the villages on white tree skirts with sparkles to make it look like snowy villages.

Glowing inside the little clay buildings are light bulbs, and the golden light looks so charming and cozy on cold winter nights when it's freezing outside, as it is tonight (even though it's technically still autumn). Brrrr!

Several of the light bulbs have finally burned out this year. Unbeknownst to me, he replaced them with ones we have on hand.

I guess I haven't been paying attention, because I finally noticed the "new and improved" evil-looking Christmas village a few minutes ago when we turned on the lights as night fell. The adorable little church with its white "clapboard", steeple and bell tower and pretty little stained glass windows are glowing bright RED. So is the country inn, the bookstore and coffee shop, and the sweet little parsonage. They all are glowing EVIL RED. These red ones are the only ones (he claims!) he has on hand.

It looks like Stephen King decorated our living room villages. That sweet little church with its front door ajar looks like the gaping maw of hell.

I can't look at this anymore. It's too evil.

I don't care if we can't afford to eat dinner tomorrow, but I insist we are going out right now to purchase proper colorless lights. He sees nothing wrong with this. I say he's a sick puppy. It's kind of funny...in a spooky way...but this set up can NOT be allowed to stay like this for the rest of the season.

Do you think I'm over-reacting? I don't think I would feel comfortable celebrating the Season surrounded by little villages that look like they came out of a horror novel. Should I do the unthinkable, and pull the plug on the village unless DH replaces the red bulbs with colorless ones?

I feel like I should get out some Holy water and a Bible and ask forgiveness. My goodness - the little inn looks like it's either on fire or a house of ill-repute. I can't have that in a Christmas village! I'm going to have to cover the eyes of the little orphans building the snowman.

Okay, I'd think this is funny, but you could probably figure that out from my signature.

Having said that, if the Christmas From Hell bothers you, go ahead and pull the plug on that section. Red light can have an "evil" effect; you can get a very spooky Halloween look just by putting a red spotlight or two outside. It's not like you are screaming "Banish these ill-begotten hellspawn!" and tossing them in a bonfire, but just waiting until you or DH buy clear bulbs.

I think it's HILARIOUS, but if you can't live with it, you can't. Any chance he has some spare green bulbs and could alternate? Maybe the red and green together would seem more Christmas-y than the red on its own...

mrkitty- are you in North America? If they are standard lights I have a whole string of plain ones I could mail to you for replacements. I don't use plain lights anyhow- they are a short string I bought by mistake a few years ago

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I think you need to borrow an "Elf on the Shelf" and suspend it about a foot over his face while he's sleeping, so it's the first thing he sees when he wakes up in the morning. And then ask him if he really thinks the red lights in the village are still a good idea.

I think you need to borrow an "Elf on the Shelf" and suspend it about a foot over his face while he's sleeping, so it's the first thing he sees when he wakes up in the morning. And then ask him if he really thinks the red lights in the village are still a good idea.

whatever you do you need to post a picture for us to see. Also I amgoing to try and convince my wife to do this. wewill have to buy houses and red lightss but I think it is worth it.

Yes, please, please post pictures!

I used red lights in some indoor garlands a few years ago - just thinking some color would be a nice change from my usual default to white lights. Looked like I had the gates of hell from front room into the kitchen area - and the red glow being visible from the outside led a friendly neighbor to call to verify that all was well. I do now have a mix of white and red lights in the garland over the mantle - which I like - but red lights alone can have a surprising effect on Christmas decorations.

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Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink -- under any circumstances.Mark Twain

mrkitty- are you in North America? If they are standard lights I have a whole string of plain ones I could mail to you for replacements. I don't use plain lights anyhow- they are a short string I bought by mistake a few years ago

Rohanna, yes, I'm in North America. You are so kind to offer to send some colorless lights - but I doubt it would be worth the cost of shipping. DH will swing by the drugstore on the way home tomorrow and will find a couple of single bulbs inexpensively.

If he wants to live.

In any case, I thank you kindly for your gracious and kind offer. It made me feel better.

Meanwhile, I don't mind switching out a blue light that we have in one of the churches - it looks rather heavenly and quite appropriate, so I think I'll keep that. I might post a picture of that, too.

Green I don't mind too much. If I find a green light, I might use that one in the meantime. It will look a little freaky, like an alien invasion, but somehow I find that less disturbing than Christmas from Hell.